Villains Drabbles
by primadonnabloodbath
Summary: Just a few AU and canon one-shots or short stories about the members (and ex members) of the Choten's Army. Contains spoilers for both seasons, and updates whenever! Rated T for language and violence. May contain possible or hinted ships in some stories.
1. Chapter 1

**First chapter! And it's with my favorite jerks.**

 **Disclaimer: I own none of these characters, only this story featuring them.**

* * *

"I question how and why these thoughts come to your mind. "

"C'mon, I'm serious! Like less'say, with alla the hypothetics taken care of, what'd you think would happen?"

Saguru and Heller were in the midst of a heated debate, or at least they were on Heller's side. The former had been minding his own business watching Alakshmi and Fingers practice dueling when the latter came to him with a deep seated conundrum.

"Just c'mon, you can't tell me no-one's ever pulled a gun on ya?" Heller asked, possibly speaking from past personal experience.

"Perhaps they did. Perhaps they did not. But even without my memories, I'm fairly certain it's a moot point." Saguru said. "The bullet would just bounce off of the mana shield, just like any other attack."

"Not if the gun's faster them they are! Hell, how come we've never thoughta that? It'd solve everything! Take down those freak-show hosts, shoot that cockney guy's lights out, 'n finish what I started with my van."

Heller let out a hearty laugh while Saguru sighed in disgust. Fingers took his eyes off of his Lethal Lockbox, curious of what the other two men were discussing. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What's this about hitting guys with vans?"

As soon as he turned, Razorkinder Puppet chopped up the lockbox into kindling, defeating it immediately. "Wh- Aw, dammit! You know I wasn't ready, Al!"

"Aww, poor baby. You know, readiness is crucial in winning duels, you utter twit. It would help if you remember that, if it doesn't hurt to think so hard." She volleyed back, banishing her own creature back home.

"Don't mind us," Saguru yelled towards the both of them. "Continue your training." However, they'd already made their way to the benches where he and Heller sat, curious as ever.

"An' why not take it a step further," Heller continued. "Like say one o' those chums facing off against you 'r me, and we don't got anything defense on us but our gauntlets, so nobody suspects a thing! Then we summon a Fear Fang and it's gotta Uzi, an-"

This appeared to be the final straw for Saguru. "NO. WE ARE NOT REVERSE-ENGINEERING BEASTKIN TO USE GUNS."

At that very moment, as if my pure luck, Aqua Seneschal strode into the room. He immediately turned back on his heels the second he overheard the bounty hunter's declaration.

"You see," Saguru said. "He agrees with me. It's a terrible idea."

"Or he's gonna pitch my awesome idea to the head honcho! It's an awesome idea!" Heller rebutted.

"Or I seriously need to find new friends." Alakshmi muttered.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Story two, FINALLY. So sorry about the wait!**

* * *

Alakshmi grumbled angrily under her breath as she fumbled around in her jacket pocket for her key. How can somebody lose a dueling gauntlet so easily? Thankfully, she'd managed to avoid coming back too early to dodge a long chewing out by one of the duel masters. When she'd finally pulled it out and opened the door, she made a silent vow to keep the accursed thing on a keychain next time.

As she searched around the library, she couldn't shake the suspicion that that someone –besides the Light creatures- was there with her. _It's probably just Toji,_ she thought. _Fell asleep on his work bench again, no doubt._ When the library proved to be of no avail, she began looking in the other Master's rooms, the Coliseum, and even the kitchen.

All hope seemed lost, until her foot landed with a soft crunch right outside of the War Room. She looked down, noting the gauntlet beneath her foot and picked it up. One gauntlet activation and extremely embarrassing realization later, she decided it would be best to pretend like this never happened and go back home. That is, until she noticed a rather unfamiliar figure in the War Room, watching over Argus.

It was Master Takahashi. Or Saguru, or Ken Okamoto, or whatever name he decided to go by today. It was all rather confusing for her, as she wondered why he hadn't yet heard her behind him. She cleared her throat loudly. "Hello."

He turned his head a bit, nodded, and went back to viewing the screens on Argus. Alakshmi slowly walked into the room, doing her best not to break his concentration. She noted that he was appearing to be mainly focusing on San Campion, and certain plots in the Water and Nature civilizations. She stared for a few seconds with him before breaking the silence with her voice again. "Any reason you're suddenly on late-night watch duty?"

"My uncle has been feeling ill," He replied, still not taking his eyes off Argus. "I am merely covering for him until he feels well enough again."

She blinked doubtfully. "He seems to be doing just fine during the day." She said in a holier-than-thou tone. "I think this 'illness' you've convinced yourself of is senility." Takahashi did not respond, as he saw something moving in the Nature Civilization, and zoomed in on it to observe. Of course, it was only yet another Rumbling Terrasaur. He sighed, and restored the panel back to its original size.

With that, it took Alakshmi 3 seconds to realize the real reason he was here so late. "He isn't coming back."

"You don't know that," He said, raising his voice slightly. "We can't be sure unless-"

"It's been 6 months!" She suddenly shouted. "If he was planning something, the bastard would have done it by now!"

"Language," he yelled back in response as he suddenly turned around to face her. And now she soon realized the extent of his paranoia, if the dark circles under and red veins around his eyes were any indicator. Alakshmi backed up a bit, and lowered her voice.

"Look, all I'm saying is that I get you're scared, I'm scared of him too. We've both been hurt, but that's in the past. The Choten's gone for good! You probably ate him when you were fused with that spider." She chuckled a bit, trying to lighten the mood. "And even if he did come back, we'd be prepared. We've got Ray, and his little friends, and the masters…"

"Can't you see I'm only trying to take precautions?" he responded, his voice much lower, and his gait much calmer. "It's best if we know ahead of time if such an event is to happen, and I don't want any of you to suffer through this." He took a deep breath before continuing, and turned back to Argus once more. "And after all, you're a child. You shouldn't be worrying about men trying to kill you or take you away, and never should have in the first place. That's the key difference between you and I."

Alakshmi saw that any other attempts at communication would be about as reasonable as trying to talk to a brick wall, or to Raiden after he got another 'brilliant' idea. "Alright." She sighed and walked out of the room quickly. Halfway down the stairs, she turned back behind herself and softly said: "Goodnight, Master Takahashi."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** I'M FINALLY FREE FROM WINTER EXAMS! And I celebrate my freedom with THE SHORTEST CHAPTER IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD. I was planning on posting a bigger story besides updating this one, but y'know. I'm still burned out. Don't hate the player, hate the game, and enjoy a completely free for interpretation UA leading up to a bad joke. A _really_ bad joke, mind you. And can you guess who my favorite characters are?

* * *

Squillace Scourge was a massive beast of a water creature, deadly in more ways than you could count. And guess who was charging directly into its massive jaws with careless abandon and throwing caution to the wind?

Yep, Raiden Pierce-Okamoto.

Of course, it wasn't like he endangered himself on purpose, it was only that he had a tendency to duel first and ask questions later. A plan that yielded mixed-positive results 79% of the time was apparently the best choice they had, taking the context of the circumstances. Also, he's only 14, give him a break.

Where was I?

Oh, yes. Raiden riding Tatsurian into the jaws of nigh-inescapable death, that's right. While Tatsurian was dwarfed by the massive abomination, he still put of one hell of a fight, blasting rockets and firing chains to wrap around its tentacles.

But, this all proved far too much for the half-breed, and he was banished away with a quick pulse of high-pressure water cannons from above. Ray toppled off the creature with a dull thud, and groaned as he attempted to pick himself back up off the ground.

"I must say, you've put up an honest fight," The Choten said condescendingly, walking closer to the still incapacitated Ray. "But I'm afraid this was all for naught. You should have known that one day, your constant jumping directly into the line of fire would get you killed."

Raiden gasped for breath as he steadied himself back on his own two feet. He looked down at his gauntlet, noting that it had very little mana left, and was only a shield or two away from completely deactivating. So, he did what one can only do in these sorts of situations: stall as hard as possible.

"Well… you've been so busy focusing on me, when everyone else has been finding a way past all your defenses!" he said, about as confidently as he could on the brink of certain death. "Kinda weird how you always overlook this."

The Choten blinked unwaveringly, fully aware of any and all stalling attempts, most likely from years of practice or experience. "Then I assume there will be nobody to find your corpse. Goodbye, Raiden." He lifted his hand, gesturing outwards as Squillace Scourge lunged.

And Humonculon blasted back.

The water creature reeled back in confusion more than pain, wondering where the counterattack had come from. Both of the duelists were just as confused, until a very familiar face dropped down from the rafters, looking like he'd gone through hell and back.

"Saguru!" Ray said.

"Well," The Choten said, slightly embarrassed on behalf of Squillace Scourge. "It seems you've come crawling back for more. I'm surprised you didn't drag along your own little student."

Saguru did not respond to him, and turned to look back slightly at Ray. "Are you alright?" he asked. When Ray nodded, he turned back to The Choten, gripping tightly on his walking staff. "Good. The duel masters are waiting for you. Go."

"But what about y-" Ray started to protest, until Saguru cut him off. "I'll hold him off. Just hurry."

Ray hesitated for a spell, before darting off and out of the current area. Saguru proceeded to face down the massive sea monster, while the Choten passive-aggressively remarked about the current situation.

"So you two have decided to play the heroes. How absolutely adorable. How does it feel knowing that the people you're trying to be oh-so friendly with can hardly trust you? I mean, it's not surprising. All you've ever done is betrayed them. Do us all a favor and quit pretending to be something you're not."

"With all due respect," Saguru said. " _You_ should be the one doing us all a favor and stop talking for once in a while."

The Choten did nothing but lift his gauntlet, the creature lifting a tentacle in preparation for attack as well. "I am going to give you three seconds. Give this up, and you might survive."

"Hello, 'going to give me three seconds.' _I'm dad_."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I felt like Heller was taking a backseat in favor of my top two characters, whoops. Yeah, I've been playing favorites, which is literally what I made this series to avoid, shame on me. So here we have his... mid-start of darkness? I mean, it's more a set up for what exactly was going on with him and his "Dodo Bird" and how he ended up in San Campion. Aaaaaand I put in an OC/Canon pairing because I'm EVIL! AHAHAHAHAAHHA. Ahem, anyways, enjoy.

* * *

Notorious thugs, upscale criminals, saboteurs, back-stabbing S-O-Bs, and flat out evil. These phrases and words, along with many more, were the ones you would use to describe Soren Heller and Roxy Mesmer. Of course, they were only known by their last names among their associates in order to keep their privacy, as well as possible hiding places on the down-low.

These two partners were seen as a villainous power couple, infamously known all across the east coast of the country for their crimes and thefts. Bragging rights usually went to however could pinpoint their next target or claim they'd been in a heist alongside them.

Nobody really even knew how Mesmer and Heller met in the first place. Rumors of them being rival gang leaders merging, or even high-school sweethearts starting out early with petty crimes flourished on the streets. Either way, the two were nigh inseparable, never leaving each other behind.

However, all of that changed one fateful night in October. Mesmer and Heller had been discovered in one of their hideouts, either through a jealous snitch or one unlucky misstep. However it had happened, they knew they were both royally screwed over. They both made their way through secret exits in separate vehicles, promising to meet up with one another at another location on the outskirts of the city.

Of course, there was not only the two of them in the hideout, they did need somewhere to stash all of their ill-gotten gains, didn't they? So, Mesmer went off with all of the loot, while Heller acted as a quick diversion to get them off her tail, and to knock them off guard. Hours later and a near-miss later, he waited outside the city limits for her to come.

Even more hours passed as he sat there, hoping to see her car so they could ditch this town and move on over to the next one. But, seven hours in and no sight of Roxy anywhere, he began to feel like he'd been had big time.

Of course she'd want to get away with all the cash! His truck was bigger, and hers looked like damn near every single one in the city. She'd take longer to get caught, and she'd be spending all the way until then. His inseparable partner had left him for a fall guy and a quick ticket out, and he was mad as hell.

This didn't stop ol' Heller from keeping his name in the headlines. He traveled across the country, performing his usual 'odd jobs' as he slowly crept towards the west coast, Mesmer all but a memory in his mind. She didn't need him, and he didn't need her.

But, it felt a little weird working without a partner. He'd been so used to it, everything felt all the more incomplete. Granted, they'd also be a whole lot more helpful in deactivating any possible alarms, be he could muster that just fine by himself, even if it took a little longer.

His next stop, a city on the tip of the West coast, was where it all changed. He'd been planning on cleaning out the local jewelry stores to prepare himself for the "Gems, Gems, Gems!" exhibition at the San Campion Museum of History. Something else caught his eye when he was busy planning this out. From the front seat of his van.

Two guys, wearing bizarre futuristic outfits concealing most of their faces and bodies seemed to be doing… something with a pair of clawed robotic gloves. He couldn't make out what was happening exactly, but his curiosity was piqued enough for him to check it out.

Apparently, what they were doing was trying to push back some sort of one-eyed monster made entirely out of clay. It writhed and screamed, pushing back against their attempts with little success. Heller assumed that with all of the commotion, he could just snatch one of those gloves from their truck, seeing as they had their hands (heh.) full already.

Early the next morning, Heller examined the glove, turning it over in his hands and wondering exactly what this thing was supposed to even do. The strange glowing markings and beastly claws didn't really seem to suggest this was anything else than just a weird prop. But, from what he'd seen, maybe it was some sort of holographic projector?

Yeah, that had to be it.

He reckoned he could sell it for eighty, maybe ninety bucks tops. His train of thought was soon derailed when a loud crackling noise and a flash of golden light popped up in front of him. He fell out of the car, scrambling to see what had just happened.

It was a glowing, robotic owl of some sort. It appeared dazed and confused as to where and how it ended up here. It took one look at Heller, coked its head to the side, and charged at him at full speed. Heller let out a screech that was entirely much higher than he intended, and shielded his face, awaiting the impact.

Except, the impact never came. The bird froze mid-flight, looking about as shocked as Heller did when he removed his hand from his face. Heller held out his hand before the bird, and then dropped it, watching the bird also fall to the ground.

With that, he grinned widely. Looks like he got a new partner after all.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Okay, here's the last chapter of the original 5 ones I had pre-written. There was another one, that I thiiiink involved an AU with evil duel masters and 'not-good but not-quite-evil' Choten and co, but that one was written in OCTOBER, so I'll probably only remember it if I get some kind of prophetic dream. ANYWAYS. You know which character I could never ever see getting a redemption arc? Fingers. Seriously, Master Tiera has a better chance, even HELLER has a better chance for that. So, onwards to plan B for ol' Joey. He's pulling a Saguru!

* * *

The Council of Logos itself was very much used to troublemakers being brought before them, especially if they were outside saboteurs. The Choten's influence had turned many once faithful creatures against their own kind, whether it be by emotional or verbal manipulation, or something more inhumane. But, even with all of these variables set in stone before them, they still were confused at the very least o find a familiar face being brought before them.

"Joseph Morrigan."

"It's Fingers, alright? Let's just get this over with."

"Joseph Morrigan." Finbarr repeated, the teenager wincing at the name. "You have been a loyal accomplice to the Choten and all of his unspeakable evils, and yet you return here for petty theft of Water Civilization weaponry. Your lack of insight and context in your situation are baffling."

"Lay off the thesaurus, will ya?" Fingers asked, visibly annoyed. "Look, it was just three spears, you can mass produce them, no prob-"

Hokira cut him off sharply. "I believe the real question here is what exactly you are trying to accomplish. The Choten is long gone, and you have no other reason to be here. Unless, of course, you merely like to cause pointless mayhem."

"Ooh yeah, that's me. Nothing but a troublemaker. Y'know toots, if I'm so bad, why don'tcha just lobotomize me now, huh?" Any further possible sassing was swiftly prevented when Fingers' mouth suddenly slammed shut via Milporo's interference. His eyes widened as he attempted to move, but the Cyber Lord's hold remained strong.

Milporo then glared and hovered a bit forward, examining the boy. "Excuse the expression. If I didn't know any better, I would say that this is exactly what you wanted, isn't it? You knew that this would be a fruitless effort, and yet you trekked onwards into ruin, all for the sake of getting caught. How predictably inarticulate."

Fingers just glared, it being the only action possible until Milporo released him. He gasped for air for a bit, couching up, and then looked back at all three of them. Attempting to put himself back together as well as he could in shackles, he then cleared his throat.

"You guys wanna know the real reason I came here. Fine, you're gettin' my sob story. Used to be some millionaire's kid, though, guess I still am. Ended up coming to San Campion because I needed to get outta the house more, and apparently was supposed to meet up with some August guy about tech stuff, and well, rest is history."

Hokira shoved her hand up to her mouth, assessing the information. "It seems as if the Choten corrupts and confuses both of our species. It would make sense that most beings would feel guilt after having to participate in acts such as those, but that is not what I'm sensing from you."

"C'mon, can you blame me?" Fingers tensed up again, by his own volition, and continued shakily. "Those freaks won't think twice about tearing me to shreds. They're a "maul first, ask later" kinda group. And besides, if the Choten rears his greasy head around your Civ again, you've got all my knowledge right here." He tapped the side of his head with his cuffed hands and grinned cheekily.

There was a long moment of silence, as the Council went over everything that he'd said. His story, as viewed by a silent mind scan, checked out perfectly. Although, considering he was only looking for an easy way out from dodging justice, this seemed hardly appropriate to forgive. But then, there were always the ends to justify the means. Meanwhile, Fingers quietly waited, anxious as ever for the answer.

"Joseph Morrigan," Finbarr repeated for the last time. "The Council of Logos has accepted your unorthodox pleas. Your wish will be granted by the Mother Virus herself."

Fingers gave a sigh of relief, until he began to question Finbarr's response a he was being dragged away. "What. Wait. Mother Virus? Not… not like the little tiny ones? Is that gonna hurt more? Wait. Seriously, guys? Guys?!"

* * *

"Joseph, get down here! We don't have all day!"

"Alright, coming!"

Joseph bounded down the mansion's stairs, nearly tripping on his own two feet as he made his way to the door. It was just another average day, helping with unloading trucks with tech parts for his father's business, no big deal.

But, there was something he felt nagging at the back of his mind that he couldn't place as he went outside to help. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of golden light bouncing off the truck's chrome exterior, but it vanished quickly with a soft whirr. He shook it off as him just seeing things, and went back to helping.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Congrats, Fingers and Alakshmi! You're both literally impossible to write romances for without becoming grossly OOC! Here's your trophies.

* * *

It had been another very long day for 16 year-old Alakshmi Verma. Creature dueling, technology testing, all sorts of extremely long and arduous tasks that the Choten had so kindly bestowed to her. How she still had any free time of her own, she still had no clue. But, at the very least, the day was over and she could finally rest from all of this nonsense.

She didn't have a place of her own, but another thing that the Choten had given her was her own barrack on the ship. It wasn't exactly a luxurious hotel suite, just a 15-by 20 foot room with a bed, desk, chair, wardrobe, closet, and her own walk in bathroom. But, she still appreciated her own space to do some things by herself.

However, it appeared someone else had decided to intrude on her humble abode. Fingers was sitting on the bed, reclined and relaxing, listening to music on his phone with his eyes shut. Alakshmi had to contain every single fiber of herself to not tear the rest of his scrawny little stick fingers off. Instead, she took a deep breath, and walked over to the bed with an extremely forced, intensely saccharine smile. Fingers opened up one eye, nodded bluntly in her direction, and then went back to listening to his music before he was unceremoniously tossed off the bed.

"Get the bloody hell out of my room," Alakshmi said, her normal expression, blithe disgust, now fully apparent on her face. "What are you even doing in here?"

Fingers picked himself up off the ground, and dusted his bruised shoulder off. "Listen, toots, I'm just about as annoyed with this as you are, capisce?" He picked up his phone, and checked it around for cracks before putting it back in his pocket. "Turns out some genius decided it would be a good idea to test out the Burn Bellies right next to my room! We're bunking together 'till I get this squared away."

Alakshmi grit her teeth. "There's only one bed, and if you think we're sharing it, you're out of your mind."

"Ah-ah-ah!" Fingers said, holding out a hand in front of her face. "It was the boss that suggested this, and unless you'd like to get a word in with him, looks like we're gonna have to make do!"

She sighed deeply, gently cupping her head in her hands. After he'd removed them with a loud huff, she stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door loudly behind herself. Fingers, nothing the obvious distress and potential threat of getting murdered in his sleep, he knocked on the door gently. "Uh, hey. I guess one of us could sleep in there, if that's cool with you? Just… I dunno, tell me what you think when you've calmed down!"

"I haven't been calm since my birth!" she yelled back from the other side of the door. From inside the bathroom, Alakshmi pinned herself against the door and slunk down into an extreme annoyed fetal position. It was bad enough that she had to deal with those three little brats, and get yelled at for not knowing how to deal with glitch tech, but this was the icing on the cake. "Might as well make the most of it," she mumbled as she got back up.

Three hours later, after quite a bit of arguing and boundaries being set up, Fingers and Alakshmi were sharing the single bed, with him nearly pinned up against the wall, and her damn near falling off. Sure, there was a good amount of space between them for there to be more room, but there was nothing you could do to make either move. Well, almost nothing…

"Y'know, it's pretty freaky with all the lights off and all the creatures roaring, ain't it?" Fingers whispered. Alakshmi didn't respond, either having already fallen asleep, or out of purely ignoring him. He yawned and stretched his arms as far as they could go without smacking her or banging against a wall. "If you're scared, you can always cuddle up to m-" Suddenly, Alakshmi turned over to reveal that they weren't the only ones in the room, and she'd summoned Razorkinder Puppet, who was gently snoring.

"Nice try," she sleepily whispered, holding the Evil Toy closer to herself, as the razor-sharp knives glistening in the low light from the moon. Fingers attempted to scream, but it came out as an incredibly strangled squeak as he turned over to face the wall, hoping that his room would be fixed by the next evening.

Eventually, the two teens fell asleep, and woke up in some rather bizarre positions. Fingers was face down, his head buried into a pillow, his arms wrapped under his body and his legs bent at the knees and sticking up straight in the air, twitching slightly. Alakshmi was flat on her stomach, lying on top of his back and her upper body dangling over the side of the bed as she curled and uncurled her hands ever so slightly in her sleep. Razorkinder had currently crawled under the bed, and was currently waiting for Alakshmi to wake up, sitting cross legged directly in front of her face.

The Choten stifled a snorting laugh when he walked into the room, as the two of them stirred. Alakshmi wiped a ribbon of drool off of her face as she got up, and Fingers groaned a bit when her weight shifted onto his back and he lifted his head off the pillow. A bit disappointed at the lack of reaction, Razorkinder crawled back up beside Alakshmi as the two of them looked up in shock, realizing that they weren't alone.

"So," The Choten asked. "Did you two sleep well?"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** The Choten counts as a member of his own army, right? And man, do I really like giving people fancy (or in this case, Finnish) full names! C'mon, canon, gimme something to work with.

* * *

August Rojalti had never quite been fond of galas. They were much too crowded, the food and drinks were all terrible, and there were far too many people trying to schmooze up to the richer folk. But, here he was, dressed to the nines because of that exact last complaint. A rather rich politician had given him a grant for his inventions, and even allowed him to use one of his unused yachts as a sort of 'work-space' for testing.

But, that wasn't the current discussion topic at the current moment. A slight problem had manifested within the rich folk, with many men and women claiming that they'd lost bracelets, necklaces, and watches that they swore that they'd brought with them. Oddly enough, no wallets or purses had been snatched, almost as if the thief had attempted to make it look like an accident, and got a bit ahead of themselves.

Amidst the panic, he did notice something else out of the ordinary. One of the waiters from across the room, though he couldn't see their face, was shoving and pushing past some of the panicked guests, as if they were trying to get away. In order not to look suspicious, he followed suit at a quick walking pace, almost certain that they were the guilty party.

Once the both of them, The Choten and thief alike, had gotten out of sight of the others and up into the higher portions of the building, they paused. The thief, to catch their breath, and him, to take in his surroundings. The highest floors of the building had been in severe neglect and disuse for quite some time, but this one now had a new purpose: a hideout and stash for ill-gotten gains. Blankets and crates were stacked around in circles and a few gold necklaces and expensive other jewelry had been thrown into a messy pile.

August had barely any time to confront them before the thief's head suddenly turned, and the door slammed shut behind him. Without given any warnings as to what might happen next, he was violently dragged upward and kayoed by something else in the room. As he came to a short while later, his head rang feverishly as he tried to get himself back in one piece. But this was going to be a bit trickier than he had previously assumed, which he realized when his vision cleared.

His wrists had been tied above his head with thin silver cables, which sliced deep into his arms when he attempted to struggle out of them. A high-pitched and dissonant giggling could be heard behind him, which he recognized from an Evil Toy. But, what most shocked him was the figure that stepped out of the shadows before him. A young girl, no more than 11 or 12, with a bitter expression that seemed almost comical for a child to have.

"Why were you stalking me?" she asked accusingly. The Evil Toy that had subdued him crawled next to her on all fours, still holding the cables tightly around its claws. Razorkinder Puppet of Miasma Pit, as he had recognized it, apparently had left the Darkness Realm to befriend a young girl. Glancing further, he saw a pearl necklace dangling around its neck. "Speak!" the girl said, folding her arms and glaring harder.

"You know, it's not nice to take things that aren't yours," He said. "Didn't your parents ever teach you that? I'm sure they must be worried sick about you."

"My parents are gone," she said bitterly. "And I need this to live, thank you very much." The puppet looked between her and him, tugging on the cables a smidge as threat display. She shook her head and gently pushed down on the creature's claws, saying "Not yet."

"How did you come across that monster?" August asked, now curious at the bond that they'd held. He'd never seen anything like it between a duelist and creature, let alone a duelist and a Darkness creature.

"He was the one that found me," the girl said, patting it on its head as it emitted a strangled purring sound. "He's my friend, and he's here to protect me from the real monsters." She seemed confident now, her angrier persona now melting away. When he cocked only a confused eyebrow, she sighed deeply and rolled her eyes. "You know! I know you've seen them, everyone does, but they're just too afraid of them. The light ones, with wings of golden steel and the… zappy… power things?"

So, not only did had this girl tamed a Darkness creature, she knew about light creatures. And, if there was any way that he was going to get out of this with all of his limbs still intact, August knew he'd have to convince her somehow to drop him. "You know, I could help you to be rid of these creatures once and for all. All you have to do is get your little…. 'Friend' to let me go."

She scoffed. "As if! You're just going to tell the police that I'm crazy! And have me taken away!" Razorkinder hissed loudly, yanking even harder on the cables. August grunted in pain, and tried to rethink his plan of verbal attack.

"You've learned so much just by yourself, you know. Imagine how much more you could know if you'd just listen to me! I think Razorinder would appreciate it just as much." The girl held a hand out in front of the puppet, shocked by this statement. Even the Evil Toy was shocked, and slacked the wires momentarily. "How do you know his name?" she asked, walking closer.

"Because I'm a duel master," He said with a smile. "And you have the makings of an extremely powerful duelist. You could join me, learn the weaknesses of these other 'monsters', and we'd be unstoppable together. What do you say about that?" The girl thought it over for a second, and then ordered Razorkinder to release him. August rubbed his writs, wincing a bit, and the girl tugged on the side of his coat to get his attention.

"Alakshmi Verma," she said, extending a hand once she'd gotten his attention.

"Lord Choten," he responded, taking her hand and shaking firmly. "You've made a wise decision, Miss Verma. Consider me at your disposal for any questions you may have."

"Well, there is one," Alakshmi said, pulling his tech gauntlet out from her back pocket. "Do you want this back?"


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Another tale from my previous bout of sickness, I watched a little bit of Once Upon A Time. Honestly, it was nothing special. Got really repetitive and annoying after the third season, but it has its moments, such as the scene parodied in the beginning of this chapter. Have some Saguru backstory!

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Dawn broke over the Quillspike settlement, as Humonculon the Blaster returned from his late-night romp around the forest. While Headstrong Wanderer would have considered it a form of safeguarding, he truthfully knew that it was his Nature side peeking out from behind his stoic Light exterior. He crawled in through a small hole in the wall of one of the huts, and gently tapped his master, Saguru, awake with one tiny metallic feeler.

Saguru moaned as he stirred and sat upright, rubbing the sleep from his one good eye as Humonculon went back to rest in the other empty eye socket. As quietly as he could muster to not wake up the others, he got dressed and prepared for the day. Stepping outside into the chilly early morning, he gripped his emerald staff tight and went to observe the fields in the case of any disturbances.

Perched upon a stalk of corn was a Fire Bird, Belua, chirping and fluffing itself up sweetly. Saguru smiled warmly and walked closer as he watched it preen itself and sing a chipper tune. Using the large part of his staff, he picked it up off the stalk, and placed it gently on a nearby wooden post. He then proceeded to swing at it with all his might, attempting to bludgeon it down. It darted around the staff with only a second to spare, and dashed deeper into the corn field. He growled loudly, and attempted to follow it, until a voice called out from behind him.

"Stop! She means no harm, Saguru." It was Headstrong Wanderer herself, and she gently pulled down his arm to avoid any more attempts on the Fire Bird's life. "Belua comes by to bless our crops, not to scavenge them. You've nothing to fear."

"I wasn't afraid," he retorted, yanking his arm away from her furry paw. "I was trying to protect your harvest from any vermin. She was in the wrong place." He walked back towards the settlement, as she sighed deeply. She hated seeing Takahashi like this, her old partner and ally completely amnesiac, completely changed and indifferent to the Nature creatures he'd once so loved. But, she followed him back, unknowing that the two of them were being watched from afar.

The day proceeded to go by in a rush, with the Quillspike going about their usual routines, whether it be sowing seeds, gaining raw materials, cooking food for supper, or in the case of the Rumblers, battle training. Saguru mainly trained with the Rumblers, but was always willing to help out Headstrong Wanderer with anything, if she so needed the help. It wasn't until the sun had begun to set that trouble became present. One of the scouts from beyond the ridge came rushing forward, his fur badly singed, telling of two fire Creatures that were planning on attacking the campground, looking for their 'associate'.

Prickleback and Razorhide, along with the added support of Saguru and Humonculon, set out to intercept them with their quills sharpened and teeth bared. Even with Saguru advising them to keep their voices low, the brothers couldn't help but discuss their plan of attack, and to show these no-good fire freaks to what-for (their words, not mine). A blast from a rather large gun disrupted their folly, and when the smoke cleared, Saguru's gaze shifted into a glare at the sight of their attackers.

"Burnclaw. Branca. Why are you here? This is a bit out of your way, isn't it?" he asked, stancing himself for a fight. Humonculon flashed his eye, and gave a warning red glow. "And without your Attack Raptor, what could you be trying to accomplish?"

Burnclaw chuckled throatily and blew the dust off the top of his gun. "Saguru, I was only worried for you. When you didn't return from offing a Quillspike Rumbler, I could have sworn he got to you first. But, now I see… now I know the truth. Coward." Branca chortled at that last remark, brandishing his own pistol.

"Hey! Who you callin' 'coward', ya scaly freak?!" Prickleback asked, jutting his back spikes. "What makes him so much better 'n you?" Saguru held out a hand in front of the angered Quillspike, harshly whispering "Don't defend me. We might be able to talk him down before things go south." As he retained eye contact with the two Fire Creatures.

"You couldn't kill off one measly grass eater, and you call yourself a bounty hunter?" Burnclaw continued, gesturing towards Razorhide and Prickleback with one pointy claw. "You're living with what you were supposed to murder, like they're your little friends. You're nothing more than a pathetic, helpless, pusillanimous, coward freak!" The last insult was punctuated by Branca cocking his gun and aiming straight at Saguru, who proceeded to use Humonculon to blast directly into the gun's barrel, exploding it from his hands as the sidekick yelped in pain.

"I am NOT a coward!" Saguru yelled, and charged straight for Burnclaw. Branca, still wincing and reeling from the pain, bumped backwards into Burnclaw, knocking him off balance just long enough for Saguru to kick him square in the chest. "Wow, so much for talking him down." Razorhide said sardonically, as the two brothers rushed in to aid him.

Branca had then recovered from the sudden attack, and was now holding Saguru's hands behind his back, digging in his claws deep as the human struggled. Catching his breath from the kick, Burnclaw attempted to reach for his gun, only to have it whisked off and snapped in half by Prickleback. Razorhide blasted quills at Branca, scarping a few scales from his arm. Saguru elbowed Branca in the face, and then ducked out of his grasp to smack him down with his staff.

Burnclaw growled, and threw a few grenades from his bandolier at the three, blasting them off their feet. From his 'vantage point' on the ground, Saguru noticed a few boulders lying on top of the cliff's edge, which could easily be shifted were there a lever. "Distract them, I won't be long!" he called to Razorhide, and then began to scale the wall. Razorhide, who was barely in any state to argue or question him, advised his brother to do the same. Burnclaw and Branca were much too embarrassed and angry to even notice Saguru had left, and focused all their efforts on the brothers.

Saguru finally had made his way to the pile, and looked down to make sure everything was in the right place, as not to accidentally crush his allies. Using one of the smaller rocks as a fulcrum, he jammed the staff directly underneath the largest ones and pushed hard. At the bottom of the cliff, Prickleback had gotten the two of them directly beneath the pile, and grinned toothily as he heard the sifting of gravel and ducked hurriedly away. The two Fire Creatures didn't have a moment to realize what was happening until they were crushed by the rockslide and banished back into their civilization.

"Ha! How's it feel to be beaten by a bunch of grass-eaters?!" yelled Razorhide triumphantly. "They'll think twice before coming back here!" Prickleback agreed. Saguru rappelled down from the cliff, and directly onto the rubble. "I can guarantee they won't be coming back, because I will not be coming back." He said, dusting himself off.

"Wait, what? You can't go just yet!" Razorhide said. But, Saguru explained that he was the 'associate' that they were looking for, that he'd slighted them in some way, and it would be for the best that he were to leave, to not put them in any more danger. Though they protested at first, the two of them agreed with him, as they went back to the village for him to get his belongs and depart. Saguru thanked Headstrong Wanderer, as well as the others for all their hospitality and care, and she gave him a dark brown scarf to keep him warm on his travels before he left for good.

Meanwhile, news of Saguru traveled through the Fire and Nature civilization in hushed whispers and claims of noble triumphs. These claims soon found their way to the ears of a certain Cyber Lord, working for the Choten, who repeated the news to his master. The Choten was pleased with this new information; Perhaps this ex-bounty hunter of legend could become his champion, time would only tell.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** School and jobs have been throttling the life outta me. But, I managed to squeeze in this little (incredibly overdue) one-shot through all of the pain. Isao Pierce-Okamoto belongs to kjd1022 and chavemora (I used hir deviantart url because her tumblr url is a bit confusing in this context), Parvathi Verma belongs to me. This still counts as the ex-members of Choten's Army, right? And before anyone asks, no, Ray and Alakshmi are not supposed to be a couple in this.

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"No, no. You were doing it right the first time! Try again!"

"Well, you told me the first time I was doing it wrong!"

"So I made a mistake, big deal! I'm not really good at this."

"Then why are you teaching me?!"

"I'm older than you!"

Raiden watched his younger brother and Alakshmi's daughter argue amongst themselves, while the poor Skullcutter she'd summoned helplessly toddled around, unsure of what to do or where to strike. Isao Jr had always wanted to be like his namesake, but had a slight difficulty in keeping his 'students' to pay attention to him. Then again, he was only 10 years old, and she 9, so that may also have been a reason for the slight setback in his teachings.

"If it gets any more heated down there, I'm going to break up his 'lesson' myself," Alakshmi entered the seating arrangement in the arena, and sat down next to Ray. "But he might be a good shoo-in for the next Darkness duel master. Jaha does need to retire soon." Ray chuckled a little bit at her joke, but didn't do much else to acknowledge her person, nor she to his.

Parvathi stormed off from him, and practically punched her creature in the face commanding it to attack. The Dread Mask seemed to get the memo, and ran at full speed at the training targets, slashing them to kindling. The two kids were frozen in shock, and Alakshmi stood up and cheered for her a bit louder then what was completely necessary. Ray whooped and laughed to in her honor, as the two acolytes to be beamed with pride.

Ray always liked seeing Alakshmi beam over Parvathi, especially when it came to the sappier aspects. Three years ago, finding out she was adopting her had been a pretty big surprise for everyone, but Alakshmi had her mind firmly set. The first few months had been a little hectic, but the duel masters and their families were glad to give her a helping hand in raising Parvathi with all they could do. Dueling had been one of those rougher patches, but Alakshmi deemed that what her kid wanted to do was fine by her, allowing that the masters could keep her out of danger.

After the cheering and the short burst of celebration, the arena was silent. Parvathi looked down at the creature with wide eyes full of glee. And then, turning to Isao Jr, she proceeded to ask a question in quite possibly one of the most adorable pangs of confusion possible.

"How do I get rid of it?"

"And that's my cue," Ray said, standing up and making his way down to the arena. Alakshmi laughed again, though quitter this time, and more out of second-hand embarrassment. "She was doing pretty, well though. Takes after you." Alakshmi shrugged and grinned a bit, and Ray hopped into the arena as a sort of secondary teacher for his little brother. From now on, he decided, these lessons would be a group effort.


End file.
